Rock Creek Oncology

There are nurses who have taken care of me who need to have some type of recognition at the Kaiser Rock Creek Oncology Department facility as well. I have always been taught that there is no ‘I’ in TEAM.

The nurses below call me by name and have a smile on their face when I come for my Chemo treatments. They also remember simple things like I like an end chair if available, ask me if I need a blanket, anything to drink, etc. I like them to use the vein finder (we joke and call it a stud finder). If they are on shift when I am getting treatment, they will stop to make sure I am ok, need anything, answer any questions, and they know I always have a lot of questions. The nurses I am listing below work very hard and take care of many, many patients. They are professionals who take care of their patients and have extreme knowledge about procedures and what to expect from treatments and actually take the time to explain this to me as the patient in terms that I can fully understand. They remember I sometimes am anxious prior to treatments. Cancer can make a person emotional and anxious. These nurses below never seem to treat my disease but choose to treat me as a person who needs their help. This reduces the stress on a patient.

I would like to also point out that Kristy Faulkner, NP is an ultimate professional, that is calm and makes sure she answers any questions that I may have and makes sure I understand, and explains the process so that I can understand, and never seems rushed (even though she is extremely busy) One Example: I had X-Rays completed; I went and had the X-Rays done and the same day I had these X-Rays done, Kristy personally called me on the same day (within a couple of hours) to go over the results step by step to let me know what the results were. I was very impressed that she called me and didn’t have me just go to KP.org to look up the results myself, which is sometimes confusing for the patient. Kristy actually cares about me as the patient.

One day when I was receiving treatment, a different patient was receiving a treatment and had a bad reaction. The Kaiser Rock Creek Oncology Team was on it immediately. The RNs, Kristy Faulkner, NP, and Sravanthi Ravulapati, MD, all came to this patient immediately to assist. I have no idea what was going on. However it reassured me that ‘God forbid’ if I ever have a reaction, that this team would be on it with no hesitation.

I am grateful they are my care team as a part of this journey. Cancer is not easy, and neither are the jobs/duties that these nurses complete on a daily basis. I depend on them to help me get better.
It takes a Team to make sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine. Trust me, these ladies have always been positive to me. We, as patients, depend on the care they give to each one of us. Without them, we do not get the care that we need.